Robert de La Salle - Indianola, TX
Posted by: 
Raven
N 28° 31.641 W 096° 30.518
14R E 743796 N 3158154
This 40' Texas gray granite statue of Robert de La Salle is located by the ghost town of Indianola, Texas. It is a Texas Centennial monument erected in 1936 in honor of the great French explorer of North America.
Waymark Code: WMPTX6
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 10/20/2015
Views: 8
This 40-foot Texas gray granite monument of Rene Robert Cavelier, Sieur De La Salle -- or "Robert de la Salle" for short -- is located on the turnabout/terminus of Texas Highway 316 by the ghost town of Indianola in Matagorda Bay. It was commissioned by the State of Texas and dedicated in 1936 as part of that state's Centennial celebrations.
The sculpture consists of a full-length figure of the man in question, depicted with long hair and a moustache. He wears a long cloak and holds a sword in front of him with both hands; the tip of the sword rests on the ground in front of his feet. The larger-than-life sized sculpture is carved in low-relief on the front of a granite shaft, except for the figure's head, which is three-dimensional. The figure gazes down to his proper left. The following inscriptions can be found on both sides of the granite shaft:
[On the proper left side of the granite shaft, i.e. beneath his right foot]
Born in Rouen France November 22, 1643. Came to Canada in 1668. Founded a first settlement near Montreal. Led several expeditions on the Great Lakes and the Ohio and Illinois rivers. Completed the exploration of the Mississippi, 1682. On July 24, 1684, La Salle sailed from France to establish a colony at the mouth of the Mississippi. Landed at Matagorda Bay February, 15, 1685. There established Fort St. Louis. While on his way to Canada he was murdered near the Trinity River March 19, 1687.
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[On the proper right side of the granite shaft, i.e. beneath his left foot]
A gentleman but not a courtier, a proud independent yet timid nature, an explorer of bold vision and untiring energy.
La Salle's colony on Matagorda Bay gave the United Statues its first claim to Texas as a part of the Louisiana Purchase.
"America owes him an enduring memory for in this masculine figure she sees the pioneer who guided her to the possession of her richest heritage"
Francis Parkman
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[On the back side of the granite shaft]
Erected by the State of Texas
1936
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Rene-Robert (1643 – 1687) was a French explorer who surveyed the Great Lakes region of the United States and Canada, the Mississippi River, and the Gulf of Mexico. La Salle claimed the entire Mississippi River basin for France, but ultimately died near Trinity, Texas on a final voyage to the Americas in an attempt to establish a French colony on the Gulf of Mexico at the mouth of the Mississippi River... but landing in Matagorda Bay instead.
URL of the statue: Not listed
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Visit Instructions:
You must have visited the site in person, not online.